[ cinefest reviews ]

Bhopali | A-

Dow Chemical advertises its interest in "the human element." But as Van Maximilian Carlson's astute documentary reveals, the slogan has little to do with corporate practice. Since its 2001 purchase of Union Carbide, the company responsible for a 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India, that has killed some 2,250 people, Dow has refused to help past, present or future victims. Cutting between close-ups of disabled children and long, low shots of gloomy hospital hallways or still-contaminated groundwater, the film shows both pain and resistance, the efforts by Bhopal activists to extract from corporate and government offices the justice — if not the salvation — they plainly deserve. While Dow and UC spokesmen deny legal obligations and the politicians deny pollution exists, people protest. —Cindy Fuchs (4/10, 5 p.m.; 4/11, 2:30 p.m.)

Brother and Sister | B+

Writer/director Daniel Burman's subtle, perceptive comedy-drama chronicles the lives of two lonely senior siblings — the loyal Marcos (Antonio Gasalla, wonderfully expressive) and the insolent Susana (Graciela Borges, terrifically bitchy). Other than blood, they have little in common except pointing out each other's faults. Their lacerating remarks and petulant behavior are equally funny, uncomfortable and painfully true. Brother and Sister 's thin plot takes about 45 minutes to develop, but once these siblings trade barbs — while eavesdropping on a neighbor, no less — the awkward moments segue into something sublime. —Gary M. Kramer (4/11, 5:15 p.m.; 4/13, 12:15 p.m.)

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone | B

When a rock band falls from grace, usually drugs or women are to blame. But for Fishbone, it was creativity's fault. Directors Chris Metzler and Lev Anderson chronicle the bell-curve success of a band that blended punk, reggae, funk and rock, creating a chaotic sound that garnered a cult following. Cheeky animations give life to the recollections of current and former band members, and interviews with pop-culture icons (Ice-T among them) offer perspective on the band that teetered on the cusp of mainstream success, but never made it over the edge. —Emily Apisa (4/12, 6:30 p.m., Painted Bride, 230 Vine St.; 4/13, 2:30, Ritz East)

Fubar: Balls to the Walls | C

"It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" is one of the more memorable sentiments in This Is Spinal Tap. Fubar: Balls to the Wall, a tale of two Canadian chums united under the flag of partying, blurs that line. When a beer-soaked party for Dean Murdoch's (Paul Spence) survival of testicular cancer results in his house burning down, Dean and Terry (David Lawrence) hit the road to find real jobs. The Wayne's World -esque dudes cuss and booze their way across Alberta, winding up on an oil-pipeline-laying crew. Ultimately, the movie is an examination of how hard reality can hit those who've made a point to avoid it. Thing is, Spinal Tap 's rock 'n' roll space cadets were so cartoonishly dim, there was no confusing them for real people. Fubar, for better or worse, is more believable. —Eric Schuman (4/13, 8 p.m., Trocadero, 1003 Arch St.; 4/14, 5 p.m., Ritz East)

The Interrupters | A-

Hoop Dreams director Steve James returns to the streets of Chicago to shadow the efforts of CeaseFire, whose mediators work to defuse inner-city disputes before they erupt into violence. Composed of former inmates and gang members — a group meeting comprises more than 500 hours of combined jail time — their approach proceeds partly from research that treats violence like an epidemic to be stemmed, not a wrong to be righted or a puzzle to be solved. The goal is to stem the infection before it spreads, breaking the chain of reprisals and counter-reprisals, and the results, captured over a period of years, can seem nothing short of miraculous. To see a hothead on the brink of getting locked up for life emerge from his house clean-cut in the uniform of his first straight job is to see grand theories bear fruit on the most basic level. The stories that don't turn out well break your heart, and those that do make it burst. Cinefest's screening premières James' new cut, tightened by 20 minutes from its Sundance debut. —Sam Adams (4/10, 2 p.m.)

Lapland Odyssey | B

Homeric as its title may be, the Finnish comedy Lapland Odyssey is anything but epic, suggesting that even something as minor as buying a digital TV box can have dramatic impact on a number of lives. In this case, the failure of Janne (Jussi Vatanen) to pick up the device in question in time for a TV broadcast of Titanic so symbolizes his failings that it threatens his live-in relationship, leading to a road trip with his slacker friends and a series of offbeat encounters en route. Dome Karukoski's film is as low-key and unassuming as its characters, which lends it a certain scruffy charm. —Shaun Brady (4/8, 9:45 p.m.; 4/11, 7:30 p.m.)

The Legend of Sofa Kingdom | B

Some have called Johnny Goodtimes the Bob Barker of Quizzo, a genial host with more than a little schlock in his game. But to the countless trivia pub crawlers featured in the brash and loud Legend of Sofa Kingdom, Philadelphia's Goodtimes is equal parts old-time toastmaster (think Georgie Jessel) and quick-thinking wiseacre. Less gross than the Wing Bowl movie, this snarky but sentimental documentary essays the lives of dedicated contestants who love to drink and think on weekdays. —A.D. Amorosi (4/11, 6:30 p.m., Painted Bride)

My Joy | A-

Cynicism rules the Russian countryside in Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa's dark picaresque. A guileless truck driver leaves home (and a visibly upset wife) with a shipment of flour, only to be confronted with a series of situations where hospitality is met with brutality and kindness with contempt. Loznitsa's narrative takes its own bypasses, even veering completely off the road in a couple of instances, but insistently erodes its hapless hero's humanity through cruelty after cruelty, offering a despairing parable of the nation's (and perhaps the species') modern history. —Shaun Brady (4/10, 5:15 p.m.; 4/12, noon)

Project Nim | B-

Chronicling a Columbia research team's efforts to teach a chimpanzee language by raising him like a child, James Marsh's documentary is either a story of great inspiration or great folly, depending on whom you believe and when you choose to believe them. The movie's sympathies lean toward the female researchers and assistants (most trained in human psychology and sign language) who treated Nim as one of their own; Stephanie LaFarge, who calls herself Nim's "mother," took him into her Manhattan apartment and even breast-fed him. Not surprisingly, heart-wrending complications ensue, but while the movie makes short work of the study's cold-blooded originator, linguist Herbert Terrace, it doesn't ask the most difficult question: What if the problem was not when they stopped treating Nim like a human, but when they started? Marsh ( Man on Wire ) gussies up his talking heads with glossy re-enactments, but the movie still feels like something that already happened, rather than something that's taking place as you watch it. —Sam Adams (4/12, 12:30 p.m.; 4/13, noon)

Stake Land | A-

The first four minutes of the post-apocalyptic Stake Land set the tone for the entirety of the film: Prepare to poop your pants while watching behind cloaked eyes. Stoic, heroic vampire slayer Mister (co-writer Nick Damici) channels Mr. Miyagi by training lone teen Martin (Connor Paolo) in the art of annihilating blood-suckers. Despite the lack of Pattinson-esque vamps skulking about, Stake Land is a smart, suspenseful horror flick, subtle and effective with its sharp commentary on religion and politics. —Diana Palmieri (4/9, 10 p.m.)

Terri | B+

Azazel Jacobs ( Momma's Man ) takes an initially disconcerting step toward the mainstream with the story of an obese high school outcast (Jacob Wysocki) trying to carve out a place for himself. His sessions with John C. Reilly's hot-tempered vice principal oscillate between bleached-out maxims and awkward hostility — Reilly's in something of a rut, there — but he develops a more layered relationship with a girl (Olivia Crocicchia) who nearly gets kicked out of school after Terri spots her getting finger-fucked in the cafeteria. Their exchanges have a painful fragility, more touching and nerve-wracking than most high school movies dare to go after — or perhaps that's just the memories they dredge up. —Sam Adams (4/10, noon; 4/13, 7:15 p.m.)

Two Gates of Sleep | B-

Midway through Alistair Banks Griffin's Mississippi mood piece, you may find yourself oddly identifying with the two backwoods brothers as they haul their mother's waterlogged coffin through the dismal Southern brush. Unfortunately, this empathy arises from the equally tedious experience of watching this minimalist narrative sag and tire beneath the film's luscious cinematography. In other words, Sleep swaps drama and dialogue for painfully prolonged shots of oozing riverbeds and insect hives. Rather than drawing upon this potentially rich thematic material, Griffin leaves too much unsaid and, in the process, waives any real psychological development. —Will Stone (4/9, 2:30 p.m; 4/11, 5 p.m.)

Tickets | Philadelphia Cinefest 2011 runs April 7 to 14. Single tickets to regular screenings are $10; for ticket information, call 267-765-9800, ext. 4, or visit phillycinefest.org. All films are being screened at Ritz East (125 S. Second St.) unless otherwise noted.